Happy Birthday, Lara
by AngelT
Summary: Very short one shot I made as a little present for Lara's Birthday, as also for St. Valentine's.


**Big thanks to Acid, for pointing out and correcting all my mistakes!**  
Quietly, the snow was covering the land that surrounded Croft Manor. Lara pulled a curtain aside and looked out the window. Nothing. With a sighshe let the curtain go and settled down near the fireplace. Today wasthefourteenth of February, her birthday and Saint Valentine's Day. Not that she cared too much about the last option but every coming year reminded thatshe does not get any youngerand one dayLara will have to settle down and live the boring life aristocracy bringsSure,the miserable fate awaits her long in the futurebut her multiple aunties could stop writing those idiotic letters at least for once. Lara always thought she'd stopped giving the impression of being a poor little orphan long ago.

_What to do??_

She picked up an army knife from the table and balanced it on the tip of her finger. Then, without aiming, shethrew it in the cupid statue that was standing on the cupboard. Theknife hit the masterpiece straight in the crotch. Like Lara cared. She always hated that thing but just could not throw it out. Relic from the ancestors, after all.

She wanted to leave already when something hit the window.

_What the…?_

A snowball, that now more reminded her ofmud, was slowly sliding down the glass right onto the windowsill. Croft Manor was absolutely isolated from the neighbours and it was absolutely impossible for any kids to get into the park. Yet…

"Unless enemies are becoming more infantile every year, I can't imagine…"

Another snowball.

_That's it! You want a fight? You will get one._

Gun, knife, short coat to keep herself warm… Lara jumped out of the front door with a strong desire to kill somebody. Presumably the dumb peace – destroyer.

The fluffy snow was creaking under herheavy army boots and if the woman was not so angry she would sense, and, perhaps notice the fairy – taleish atmosphere of the place. Giant old oaks and pine trees were standing covered with a white soft blanket and aclear dark sky was twinkling with myriad of diamond – like stars.

A shadow slipped between the trees and Lara jumped in that direction. All of this seemed so familiar yet she could not recall from where. As the snowball hit her back she started to get slightly wild from anger. But as she was turning around, the shadow kept following her so Lara could not see the follower.

Her breath was making little warm puffs in the air as the hands holding hergun started to tremble.

_What is wrong with me? It is absolutely nothing and I behave like…Like…_

It took just a second. A hand reached from nothing, grabbed the gun and twisted it out of Lara's frozen fingers. The next thing she felt was cold snow falling behind hercollar.

"Lady Croft starts to lose her famous grip," stated a mild yet cheeky voice as the click of a lighter opening was heard.A small fire illuminated the face of the stranger: blue eyes that now were laughing over her, and a memorable smirk.

"Kurtis!!"

A snicker.

"Always at your service."

Lara stood up and tried to clean herself from the snow that now turned to water and soaked her clothes.

"I will be very short. What are you doing here?! You disappeared after Prague and I haven't seen you for two years!"

"You have something of mine and I want it back." Kurtis paused and Lara caught herself thinking that she had never seen such cheeky eyes before on anyone.

"And it is the fourteenth," He finished.

"Big deal. We are not even a pair. And yes, I hate this day."

Kurtis walked around her and grinned, while staring at the sky.

"And why is that?"

"Because," snarled Lara. "Because I am always… Ugh! That is not relevant right now!"

But Kurtis just simply ignored the statement about relevancy.

"Alone."

A snow pile in his face was the answer.

Everything thatfollowed a second after Lara threw the snowball, perhaps the first in her life to shut someone up with, could be excused by theamount of snow, with thebeauty of the night, with a lot of trees standing around… The last one was imagined by Kurtis and was laughed away by Lara.

They were rolling in the snow, kicking and punching. It lasteduntil Kurtis performed a sneaky attack and managed to press his lips together with Lara's. Her struggling eased off a bit and soon stopped. Five minutes later he took her right there, in the snow, under the sky in diamonds. It was extreme, it was wet and cold but it was so damn pleasurable… Scream of passion filled the silence and died. Pure and undisturbed by anything.

Later, when the two of them curled together near the fireplace and his hands were playing with her still wet hair, Lara looked up and whispered, as she did not have strength for anything else, so happy she was.

"Kurtis… Why did you come?"

There was a pause as he stared into the fire and she looked at him, how the red sparkles were dancing in his eyes. Finally Kurtis turned to her and whispered only one phrase.

"Happy Birthday, Lara."


End file.
